Since the National Lottery began in 1994, it has been drawn 253 times.

The other most common numbers are:

38 – 251 times

40 – 249 times

23 – 248 times

39 – 246 times

33 – 245 times

However, their frequency of appearance is no indication that they will be drawn together. In fact, the chance of these numbers cropping up in a winning combination is the same as any other set of six.

Choosing the birthdays of family or friends

For those who use birthdays, five of the most commonly drawn numbers are more than 31, meaning they are not likely to have picked them.

Sticking to birthdays certainly limits the range of numbers you can choose and this is a common system, so more people are likely to pick those numbers, meaning you may have to share your prize.

Overdue numbers

Another approach that is commonly used is to look for numbers that have not come up in a while.

Human intuition tells us that if something has not happened in a while, then it is probably overdue.

Currently the most overdue number is 48 – it has not been picked in nearly 81 days. Similarly, the numbers 23 and 46 last appeared 77 days ago.

The 21 ball came up 63 days ago while number 14 was selected 60 days ago and number 2 emerged 56 days ago.

The least picked numbers are 20, 13, 21, 41, 16, and 37.

However, while the concept that things which are overdue will eventually happen makes sense, it does not mean they will when it comes to the National Lottery.

Dr John Haigh, an emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of Sussex who has written a paper on the statistics underlying the National Lottery, said: “Just because a number has not come up for a while does not mean it will in the next draw.

“Just as you flip a coin, if you get five heads in a row, it does not mean the next time it is more likely to be tails. The odds are still 50/50.

“So with the lottery, they remain one in 14 million.”

Lucky numbers

Like birthdays, this is a common approach, steeped more in superstition than any real logic. But some people are naturally drawn to certain numbers in the same way they may have a favourite colour.